The roll-bending process of four-roll plate rolling machines can process the plate into fixed or variable curvature parts such as curved parts, cylindrical parts, conical parts and polygonal parts. This process is widely applied due to its advantages of high efficiency, flexibility, material saving and high forming accuracy. Therefore, the roll-bending process of four-roll plate rolling machines was reviewed from three perspectives: process methods and flow, theoretical models of the process, and influencing factors of establishing the model. Firstly, the working principles, process flows and characteristics of asymmetric and symmetric roll-bending process were introduced. Secondly, for the continuous roll-bending process in the process flow, the characteristics, applicability and accuracy of three types of linear and nonlinear roll-bending mathematical models were summarized. Furthermore, the three factors affecting the modeling of the process were analyzed, including the material hardening characteristics, the roll-bending passes and the unloading springback of plate. Finally, the current research issues and possible future development directions were discussed.